EVAFALL
by KV1789
Summary: After Third Impact, Shinji Ikari gets thrown into a new dimension where the enemy is not the Angels but a corporation, the IMC. Armed with the memories of his old world, will he truly find happiness and become a legend or die a nameless soldier in a hopeless war?
1. Chapter 1: Second Chance

This is KV1789. I just want you to know that this is my first time writing a fanfiction. Reviews and tips will be greatly appreciated, guys!

Chapter 1: Second Chance

This was it. The product of rejecting Instrumentality. Kneeling in front of the Sea of LCL, Shinji cried. He chose not to push through with it, hoping that he would be able to see everyone who he knew alive and well. Now it was only him and "Asuka" (if that woman lying unconscious beside him truly was her) and the people he knew might just be the mass of liquid in front of him.

"I'm…*sob*…sorry…*sniff*…I'm sorry I…couldn't…save you all…" he mumbled, face covered by his hands.

"I just wanted to make things right…I just wanted to make things right…why…WHY?!" he shouted to the heavens.

He wanted to kill himself so badly. He wanted everything to return to normal. He wanted to see his "friends" alive again. He didn't want to face the Angels again, he didn't want to be alone, he just wanted everyone to live again. It didn't matter how, when, why or where.

"I don't care how or where I'll meet them…I just want to see everyone else alive…" he said in between sobs. He glanced back at "Asuka" only to see a huge puddle of LCL where she once lay. Shinji realized that it was only a matter of time before he too would dissolve.

"I just want to see everyone alive… I just want to see everyone alive…" he started muttering repeatedly. He hoped that his wish would be granted but deep down he knew that his effort was futile.

He felt unusually warm at his hands. He looked at them and noticed that they were starting to dissolve. The heat started spreading to the rest of his body. Shinji looked at the wasteland before him one last time before closing his eyes…

"I'm sorry I failed all of you."

* * *

A dark void was the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes (if he had any at this point). It reminded him of the time when he was swallowed by Leilel, but without the hallucinations.

"_So this is what death feels like. No heaven, no hell, just…darkness."_ Shinji couldn't feel anything but it didn't really matter now. Everyone was gone. ' Cessation of existence' as it was called in one of those books he read about death.

"_Now what am I supposed to do now? I'm floating in a void. I guess this is what everyone else is going through." _He thought to himself. He started hearing a faint voice…

"Pilot is not responding-*static*-vital signs are stable-*static*"

"_Huh? That sounded like the intercom of an EVA…" _There was nobody else in the void. He assumed that he was probably imagining it now, but the voices started getting louder.

"Someone get him out-*static*-bring him-*static*-infirmary-*static*"

"_Ugh! It's getting louder! What's going on?!_ " the void started to materialize. It started to look like a dimly lit Entry Plug, but there were no control sticks.

The front of the "Plug" opened forward and a blinding light shone onto him.

"C'mon, soldier. Let's go fix you up."


	2. Chapter 2: Brave New World

Chapter 2: Brave New World

"_Ughh…"_ The voices stopped now. Shinji was trying to comprehend what happened. Was it all a vision, a hallucination, a dream? He was in the void again, but this time it was different. He could feel something. It felt like he was lying down on a hospital bed. Then he could feel himself breathing. Was he really alive now?

"Ikari's got potential, but if he doesn't recover from this we're gonna have to drop him." he heard a professional sounding voice say. Based on how soft it was, the man was probably a few meters away.

"What happened to him?" a second voice asked. "He suffered a concussion to his forehead. I assume he received it while performing the synch tests. We'd be lucky if he only receives a minor one but at this point we can't be sure." the first speaker answered.

"I don't wanna see him go. Besides, he's my friend." the second speaker said. "Why don't you stay here and watch over him, rookie. I have other patients to attend to at the moment. Just tell me if he wakes up," Shinji assumed that the man was probably a doctor.

"_I must be in a hospital again…he mentioned synch tests though…Oh God don't tell me that I have to pilot an EVA again…"_ he mentally facepalmed. _"...waitaminute…is this real? Is all this real? I need to wake up…I need to wake up… I need to wake up!"_

Shinji forced open his eyes. He could only squint but he could make out the ceiling. It looked kind of dirty. _"Reminds me of Rei's apartment…" _he thought. He tried to turn his head to the left. He saw a futuristic looking window. It looked like the inside of a spaceship. He tried pushing himself up to sit up straight but failed. He did succeed in calling the attention of his watcher, though.

"Shinji? Shinji!" his observer exclaimed. "Doc! Doc! He's awake!"

Shinji fell back down on the bed with a thump. His observer stood over him.

"Shinji! Uhhh…" the man held up four fingers. "…how many fingers am I holding?!"

Shinji struggled to take a good look at the man's hand. "Four?" he answered in a weak voice.

He noticed something about the guy. He couldn't see very clearly but it seemed that the guy resembled Toji Suzuhara, his old classmate and EVA pilot candidate. He even sounded like him.

The doctor arrived just in time. "What happened?"

"It's Shinji, sir. He's awake!"

The doctor went over to Shinji's bed. He examined his forehead. The bruise was still there, but it was small.

"Soldier. Go inform the top brass that Ikari's regained consciousness." the doctor ordered . "I'll see to it that he hasn't suffered anything more severe."

"Yes, sir!" the other man left the room.

"Shinji. Don't force yourself up. Just rest. I'll ask you some questions when you wake up, okay?"

Shinji struggled to nod, then succumbed to the tiredness and fell asleep.

* * *

"_I'm not dreaming. This __**IS **__real. Where am I? " _He was back in the void of his mind again. Too tired to move, he was stuck on the bed unable to find out more about his whereabouts. He wondered where everyone else was.

"_If that other guy might be Toji…I wonder where Asuka, Rei and Kensuke might be. My wish was granted after all but…how?"_ He wondered. His body started to regain its strength. He could properly feel his arms and legs now, although his head still felt like shit. He opened his eyes again, looking at the ceiling. He managed to properly push himself up now.

"Ah…Shinji…I…uh…guess you're okay now," the familiar voice asked him. Shinji turned to where it came from. He was right, standing beside him was none other than Toji.

"T-T-Toji?!" Shinji stuttered. "Thank goodness you're here."

"And thank goodness you aren't dead. The doctor told me to watch over you while you were out. He'll be back to check if you've got amnesia but by the looks of it, you're okay to me," he said.

Shinji noticed that he seemed to be wearing some armored padding on his knees and elbows. He also had a computer gauntlet thingy on his left arm.

"What are you wearing on your arm?" Shinji asked him, pointing at the device.

Toji looked puzzled. "This? It's a Data Glove 3000, standard-issue communications device for all Pilots. You have one too, Shinji. I'm surprised that you don't know about this, bro."

"_I have one?"_ Sure enough, he was wearing a similar looking device on his arm. He then noticed what he was wearing, it seemed to be his old Plugsuit but with an armored vest, elbow and knee pads, and several magazine pouches attached to the vest.

"What the heck are we wearing this stuff for?" Shinji asked out loud.

"Okay, man. I think that you seriously have amnesia now." Toji started backing away from him.

The doctor entered the room. "Ah, Shinji. You're up now. I guess we'll start the questioning."


	3. Chapter 3: Adjusting to Reality

"Uh...who are you?" Shinji asked the doctor.

The man pulled up a chair and sat down beside Shinji's bed. "Dr. Allan Lennox. I'm the Chief Medical Officer of the First Brigade," he bluntly said without looking up from his clipboard. "Now let's see if you still remember anything prior to your accident, Ikari."

Shinji took a good look at him. He was dressed in what appeared to be an old lab coat. It was unbuttoned and under it he wore a slightly dirty polo shirt and combat pants. He also had short, blonde hair and looked like he was in his late thirties. Overall, Lennox reminded Shinji of Ritsuko, but if she was a guy.

"I'll ask you some questions about yourself," he looked up at Shinji, who was still dazed. He nodded. Toji pulled up another chair to watch the two.

"Now Shinji..." Lennox looked back at his clipboard. "...when were you born?"

Shinji tried to remember. He was starting feel lightheaded, but he managed to remember a date.

"June...6...2001?" he answered.

Toji looked at him strangely. Lennox wrote down something.

"How old are you?"

Shinji remembered that he was just fourteen before finding himself here.

"Four...teen?"

Lennox wrote down something again.

"Do you remember anything before you and Suzuhara's synchronization tests?"

"_Oh __God, we're still piloting EVAs aren't we?" _Shinji tried to remember anything prior to waking up but as he was thinking, a sharp pain struck him when he glanced at Toji.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Toji fell off the chair due to the sudden scream. Lennox, surprised but unfazed, stood up and helped up the man on the floor.

"Shinji! SHINJI! Doc, what's happening to him?!" Toji tried to do what he could to help Shinji by attempting to hold him steady, but Lennox pulled him back.

"Stay back," he calmly told him.

"He's in pain! You have to do something!" Toji shouted at him.

"I don't know what's happening to Ikari, Suzuhara. There's nothing else we can do but wait and see what happens," Lennox sternly said.

"But...he's..."

The two men watched as Shinji, grasping his head in his hands, painfully started to recall Unit-03's botched activation test.

* * *

Images of Bardiel and the Dummy Plug activating flashed across Shinji's eyes. He could hear the voice of Gendo echo in his ears.

_"Cut all synchronization between the pilot and Unit 01..."_

_"...switch the control circuit to the Dummy Plug..."_

_"...It'll be of more use than the pilot...it'll be more of use than the pilot...it'll be more of use than the pilot..."_

His voice started getting even louder when it suddenly warped into a different sentence.

**_"YOU ARE WORTHLESS, SHINJI...WHY DO YOU STILL FIGHT? YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO RUN AWAY...YOUR DEATH WILL NEVER BE MOURNED...YOU WILL NEVER BE REMEMBERED...I...SHALL NEVER LOVE YOU..."_**

Gendo's 'voice' stopped. Shinji found himself in the void again. It materialized into a hospital room. He saw a stretcher with a person in it. It was Toji. Shinji approached it.

Toji was in a full body cast. His severed leg was replaced with a prosthetic one.

"Shinji..." 'Toji' moaned.

"...Why? Why did you do this to me?"

Shinji knelt and cried.

"I'm sorry...*sob*...I'm so sorry..."

A bright light enveloped them both.

* * *

When Shinji came to, he was an emotional wreck.


	4. Chapter 4: The Arrival

"What happened to Shinji?" Kensuke asked Toji. They were sitting on a bunch of crates outside the supply depot shortly after Toji was sent out of the infirmary for overstaying.

"I don't have the slightest idea. After he woke up and Dr. Lennox started asking questions he just...lost it. He was just shouting and crying for who knows how long and then..." Toji trailed off.

"And then what?"

"...he started apologizing to me...saying stuff like 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I had no choice' blah blah blah..." He put his hand on his chin. "...What was he apologizing to me for? Did he do something I didn't know about or..."

Kensuke interrupted, "What did Dr. Lennox do after the fiasco?"

"He told me to leave. He just told me to go back outside and that he'd deal with Shinji. I didn't look back after that..." Toji turned to Kensuke, "Dude. Is that shit normal if you get amnesia or sumthin'?"

Kensuke shook his head. "No...I don't think so...but then again, I ain't a doctor, I'm a maintenance guy." He looked at the sky. It was around noon on the planet they were on. He sighed. His ultimate reason for joining the Militia was to become a Titan Pilot. Unfortunately, he was regarded as physically unfit. The Grunts used to tell stories of the Pilots soaring around the battlefield like birds. When they landed on the ground, they were like dancers weaving in and around the hail of bullets with ease, returning fire with their own weapons before leaping away to rain havoc on other IMC forces. The most epic of all was when they called in their Titans. They would become unstoppable, destroying all enemies who opposed them. It was like what happened in a certain manga he read before when he was still in Angel City. Because of this, he envied Toji and Shinji so much.

"Anyway, did Lennox tell you when Shinji'd be out?"

"No. I think he'll be there for a while." Toji stood up. "I'm gonna go see if there are any announcements at the HQ. I'll see you later, Ken."

"Hmm. A'ight." Kensuke waved him goodbye and proceeded to bring the crates that they were sitting on into the depot's warehouse.

* * *

Shinji was released the next day. Grasping his left arm he stepped out of the infirmary. Lennox told him that if he felt anything strange, he should go back and get himself checked out. He looked up and saw the Militia supply depot/forward base he was in.

_"Where...am I? What happened to NERV? Where is everyone?" _he wondered. The place was seemingly deserted. He also had feeling in his gut that he was not on Earth.

"Shinji!"

He turned around and saw the last person he thought of seeing, Toji. He was also accompanied by none other than Kensuke, who he noticed was wearing a makeshift maintenance worker's uniform.

Toji put his arm around Shinji's shoulder.

"I see you've been released already! I hope you still remember Kensuke," Toji motioned his hand at the guy with glasses. Shinji had a flashback to when he told him something about fighting for a cause.

* * *

_"An idiot fights even if he knows he can't win. Just 'cause he has balls doesn't mean he'll win. It has absolutely nothing to do with victory..."_

* * *

Shinji smiled a little. They still supported him, even in this new world.

"Anyway. We're heading to the Docking Bay. Some troops are being transferred here from the Third Brigade," Toji continued.

"The Third Brigade! Isn't that the Marauder Corps?! HOLY SHIT!" Kensuke exclaimed. Shinji did not understand a single word he said, but it was probably some military stuff, as usual for an army nut.

"Those guys are the best of the best! They're fucking BADASS! I've heard from some of the Grunts that they literally RIP out the IMC's Pilots out of their Titans! There was even this time where it was said that when an IMC Pilot tried to punch one of their critical level Titans, the Pilot caught the fist, ripped out both of the enemy Titan's arms, and beat the shit out of him! And then, and then..." Kensuke started rambling.

Toji covered his mouth. "That's enough, bro. We don't wanna give Shinji another headache now do we? *Sigh* Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Most of the base's personnel were at the Docking Bay. A Militia corvette was going to dock at the Bay to drop off the extra troops from the Marauder Corps, since they couldn't handle the sheer amount of supplies they needed.

"Aww, man. This is so cool! We finally get to have some real pros on our side!" Kensuke was so excited. It didn't help that they were near the disembarking area.

The Diemay-class corvette finally landed. The boarding ramp slowly unfolded, allowing the new transfers to see their new home.

* * *

**A few hours earlier...**

The corvette had just left Concord, a Militia-controlled planet which was being used as their headquarters. It also housed the Marauder Corps. Around five hundred Pilots and Grunts were on board, being transferred to the First Brigade's main base in the Outer Frontier. The supplies needed to maintain the forces were too much for the command to handle so the troops were being distributed to the other Brigades which were less populated. However, a certain red-headed Pilot was not too happy upon finding out that she was one of the transferees.

"Fucking. Great." Asuka sulked in the passenger area of the corvette. Three years of service to the Militia was spent fighting the IMC on various planets to 'ensure their freedom.' Asuka, on the other hand, found this as a way to glory. She regarded herself as an ace Pilot, surpassing her contemporaries in every way. Now, she was being shipped off with some nobodies to some stupid planet, away from the action.

_"I, the great Asuka Langley Sohryu, am being transferred to Vale. Motherfucking, Vale. My God! That planet is a total shithole! Who the fuck approved ME, of all people, to be shipped off there?! They must be so fed up with how I absolutely own the battlefield. Desperate assholes..."_ she thought to herself. Many people had commented that although Asuka had exceptional capabilities as a Pilot, her arrogant attitude and uncooperativeness made her one of the worst Pilots to EVER work with.

"Asuka? Don'tcha think you should sit down? They're going to activate the Warp Drive any time now." Hikari, a fellow Medic asked her. Hikari met Asuka during one of her sorties. She didn't have any unpleasant impressions about her so she seemed to be one of the few people who Asuka didn't alienate.

"Ugh. Whatever." Asuka proceeded to sit down.

"Can you also stop complaining? Pardon me for my language but what else can we do? If Command wants us to be transferred then so be it. It's not like you have a say in the matter."

"I just find it unfair that all the other guys get to stay." She looked down at the floor and sighed.

Hikari then thought of a reason as to why she was being transferred. "You know...I think this could probably be related to your attitude..."

Asuka glared at Hikari. "What do you mean 'it's related to my attitude'?!"

"You do have a knack for disobeying orders, Sohryu. Remember what happened at Sheridan?"

* * *

"Pilot Sohryu! What are you doing?!" her Data Glove blared as she proceeded to enter a newly-made Atlas in one of the Titan manufacturing ships.

"Stand down! We need you as a backup Pilot! Get out of the Titan!"

"YOU STAND DOWN! They're getting killed down there!" she started activating the manual drop system.

"The situation is under control! Get out of the-!" She turned off the comms line.

"Now that's out of the way...commence Titanfall!" Asuka commanded the AI.

* * *

"At least we won." She rolled her eyes at Hikari.

"The IMC managed to the destroy most of the fuel lines before you dropped in. Taking the planet was a pyrrhic victory." Hikari pointed out.

Asuka knew she was right, but then again, that was in the past.

"Attention, all passengers. The Warp Drive will be activated in T-minus thirty seconds. All of you are required to sit down and buckle up." The intercoms announced.


	5. Ch 5: The Red Devil and the Blue Angel

Asuka and Hikari sat down on the seats in the passenger area together with the other Pilots.

"Warp Drive will activate in 3...2...1."

The corvette shot into space like a bullet. The two ladies could feel a little pressure pushing them back. They were like this for around fifteen minutes when the ship went back to normal cruising speed.

The intercom spoke up, "We have arrived at Vale. All personnel on board, please prepare your luggage for disembarking."

Asuka unbuckled her safety belt and looked out the window. Vale looked similar to Earth, but with significantly less land, and it was just as beautiful. Hikari stood beside her and noticed the stunned look on her face.

"And you said that this place was a shithole..."

Asuka nudged her. "Shut. Up."

* * *

**Back on the Docking Bay...**

Shinji leaned on the railing. Kensuke was blabbering about some military-related nonsense to Toji, who simply ignored him. On the other hand, Shinji was still trying to make sense of everything he had been exposed to at this point.

_"So Toji and Kensuke are here...I wonder if they still remember? The others, I haven't seen yet..."_ He put his head on his hands. _"...but more importantly...what's going on? I'm definitely not with NERV, whoever these guys are, I haven't seen a single goddamned EVA or Angel...that's a good thing, right?...and most of all, what's an IMC? What's a Brigade? Why AM I with these guys anyway?!" _Shinji pondered. He looked up and saw the mass influx of people exiting the corvette. He didn't recognize anyone, until he saw what looked like a dash of red hair amongst the crowd.

_"Huh? That looked like...no it can't be..."_ Shinji looked closely. He squinted as the crowd became less dense. The people blocking his view lessened, revealing that the person had two familiar looking ponytails.

_"No...is it...really...her?!"_ The people lessened and lessened until he finally had a full view of the person.

_"It IS her!" _Shinji suddenly had another flashback.

* * *

They were on the the aircraft carrier in the UN Fleet. Just as they got off the helicopter, Toji's hat flew off. Asuka managed to pin it down with her foot, but as Toji was about to pick it up, her skirt flew up and he had an eyeful of something he wasn't supposed to see.

_"You fucking perverts!"_

*SLAP!* *SLAP!* *SLAP!*

Pissed at her for slapping him, Toji ended up dropping his pants in his rage. And, sure enough...

*FALCON...SLAP!*

Shinji was introduced to her formally shortly afterwards. She commented that she found him 'dull.' The memories of that fateful day flashed across Shinji's eyes.

_"What are you?! Stupid?!"_

_"...think in German!"_

They ended up succeeding in destroying Gaghiel AND broke their synch ratios together. It was a day that Shinji would never forget...

* * *

He snapped back to reality. She had already left the platform. Toji waved his hand across Shinji's face.

"Shinji! Hello? You okay, dude?" he asked.

Shinji turned to him. "Huh? Oh...yeah. I'm okay..."

"You know...you've been doing that face ever since I met up with you after the accident. Are you sure you're okay?" Toji asked him again, with a skeptical look.

"I'm fine, Toji..." Shinji noticed that Kensuke wasn't around.

"Where'd Kensuke go?"

"He went off to see the new Pilots at the barracks."

Shinji immediately ran off to the barracks. This was his chance to meet up with Asuka again. Toji ran after him.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

The Vale Outpost's barracks was very big, due to the fact that it was a row of former warehouses that were repurposed for the role. Since the First Brigade was not so populated, most of the barracks was empty. Now, it was fully occupied. The Grunts occupied the lower levels while the Pilots stayed on the upper ones. Shinji managed to catch up with Kensuke, who was peering into the Pilots' quarters.

"Woah! It's so awesome to see these guys in person! Who knows what badass shit these guys have done!" He mused.

Shinji and Toji looked in as well. Everyone was fixing their stuff. Toji tapped Shinji on the back.

"I forgot to tell you. We live up here."

Most of the Pilots were just chatting. Others went to sleep on the bunk beds. Shinji tried to look for Asuka, but couldn't see her. He turned to Kensuke.

"Uhh...did you happen to see a red-headed female Pilot around here?" He asked.

"Red-headed Pilot? You talking about the one with the ponytails?" Kensuke answered without looking at Shinji.

"I saw her go to the mess hall. You know her?"

"No. She just looks...different." Shinji replied.

"Yeah. She kinda stands out since no other girl here wears their hair like that." Kensuke responded.

"Thanks. I'll, uhh...see you later Ken." Shinji left him there while Toji followed.

* * *

Shinji hastily walked over to the mess hall with Toji in tow. However, Toji was wondering why he was so interested on meeting this Pilot.

"Shinji...why do you want to meet this girl so badly? You in love or sumthin'?" He asked as they walked.

"What?! No! It's just..." Shinji started to blush. "...ugh. You'd never understand if I told you." He slumped.

"It's okay, man. Secret's safe with me."

"I'm NOT in love!"

"Heh heh heh...whatever."

They reached the mess hall. Shinji opened the door and they both stepped in. He noticed Asuka sitting with who appeared to be Hikari at a table. In order to make it look like they weren't gonna eavesdrop on them, Shinji ordered a bowl of stew while Toji just took a bottle of water. They sat on a table behind them.

"Um...Shinji? What the heck are we doing? Aren't you gonna talk to her or-" Toji was cut off by Shinji doing the 'be quiet' motion.

_"Man. He really doesn't know how to talk to girls does he?" _Toji just shrugged and drank some water.

Since the mess hall wasn't so populated, Shinji could hear what Asuka was talking about. Sure enough, she was complaining.

"God! I was right. This place IS a total shithole! I mean, look at the food here! It tastes like bullshit!"

Shinji took a sip of the stew. He almost threw up.

_"Definitely Asuka. She is right, for once."_

He didn't hear Hikari say anything, so he assumed that she was just tolerating Asuka's bitching.

"C'mon, Toji. Let's go." His mission was complete. The girl behind him IS Asuka. He didn't have the guts to actually face her, since she might also remember what had happened before. What Shinji didn't know was that he was the only one who retained his memories from the old universe.

"What? We just got here?" Toji asked.

He and Shinji both stood up. The exit was just near the last few tables on their row. However that meant they had to pass by the two. Shinji turned around but he suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oof!"

"Augh!"

It was none other than Asuka herself. And she was VERY, VERY pissed.

"You...**IDIOT!**"


	6. Chapter 6: Familiar Faces

Shinji didn't notice Asuka standing up to throw away all the food on her tray, since she considered the stuff as trash. As they simultaneously turned around they walked straight into each other, all the food spilling on Asuka's red-trimmed jacket. She immediately dropped the tray and lunged at Shinji. She grabbed him and slammed him headfirst onto the nearest table.

"DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU JUST DID?!" She screamed into his ear. Shnji was almost deafened by how loud she shouted.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" He tried to apologize only for Asuka to slam his head again.

"AUGH!"

"THIS WAS MY MOTHER'S JACKET! NOW IT'S RUINED! BECAUSE. OF. **YOU.**"

She proceeded to repeatedly slam Shinji on the table. Toji and Hikari attempted to restrain her.

"Asuka! Calm down!" Hikari tried to talk to her, but it was futile.

"Lady, give him a break! He didn't mean to ruin your-" Toji immediately received an elbow to the face.

"**YOU PERVERTED FUCK!**"

He didn't notice that he was holding onto her right breast while attempting to restrain her.

Shinji managed to reach the door in the confusion when he was grabbed from behind.

"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" She shouted as she threw Shinji on another table, the force of the impact breaking it. Luckily, the armored vest lessened the injury received to some bruises on his back. The cook motioned some of people inside to get the base's main authority to the mess hall pronto. Some of the other male Grunts and Pilots tried to restrain Asuka as well, only to be shook off effortlessly. More still held her down.

"Du Scheiß-Hurensohn! Sie wünschen, dass Sie noch nie geboren worden! ICH WERDE DICH TÖTEN!*" Asuka started swearing in German now, and when she started swearing in German, it was bad news. Shinji limped away, but collapsed as he reached the other exit door.

_"I gotta get outta here...she's gonna kill me! I was hoping that this wouldn't happen...How did I mess this up?"_ Shinji thought to himself. He tried to reach the door only for it to burst open.

"WHAT IN BLAZES IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The mess hall was partially wrecked. Some of the Pilots and Grunts who tried to restrain her were slumped on the walls and floors. Asuka was pinned down on a table by Hikari, Toji and a few other personnel. Shinji managed to take a look at the man before passing out. He was wearing a jacket similar to Toji's except that it was all green, as was his combat pants.

Shinji passed out. When he came to, he was in the infirmary again.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the Inner Frontier...***

Vice Admiral Marcus Graves paced around in his office at Demeter. He honestly wanted to stop the war with peaceful means, but the IMC's Executive Committee shot down his requests for diplomatic solutions, just as they did with his calls for reforms. Nevertheless, he had a job to do, and that was to wipe out the Frontier Militia using ANY means necessary.

"Vice Admiral. You look troubled. What is the matter?" Spyglass, the IMC's manifestation of its computational network identity, entered the office and noticed the look on Graves' face.

Graves turned to the modified Spectre. "Ah. It's nothing. I'm just...a little nervous, that's all."

"And why are you 'nervous' Vice Admiral?" Its mechanized voice asked.

"Me and the Supreme Commander of the IMC Armed Forces are going to have an audience regarding changes in strategy. I've heard from the commanders in the Core Systems that the Executive Committee replaced him recently, but I don't know who is the new Commander."

The alert on Graves' desk blared. The Commander was calling already.

"I will now leave you to your business, Vice Admiral. Have a good day." Spyglass immediately left the office. It was now just Graves and the Commander. Graves pressed the holographic button that said [ANSWER_CALL] and sat down on the chair behind the desk. The image of a man dressed in a high-ranking silvery white uniform with his hands clasped in front of his face appeared. He was in his early fifties and was wearing what seemed to be orange-tinted glasses.

"Greetings, Admiral Graves." The Commander said.

"It is pleasure to meet you Commander..." Graves trailed off due to the fact that he didn't know his name.

"Ikari. Gendo Ikari." He adjusted his glasses. "Now that we have our formal introductions out of the way, I would like to discuss some...issues with you, Admiral."

"Ah, yes. The Militia, am I correct?"

"Precisely. It appears as if they have been growing quite formidable over the past few years. Mostly due to their ability to manufacture Titans, thanks to that...incident."

"It is becoming hard to drive them out of the planets that have the materials we need due to the incompetence of my predecessor."

"Yes. That is why I requested this audience with you, Admiral. We will be having..."

"A change in strategy?" Graves finished the sentence.

"You catch on pretty quickly, Graves. Exactly. A change in strategy. Our forces have mostly been on the defensive...now it is time that we turn the tables on them."

An alert that said [FILES_RECEIVED] appeared next to Gendo's hologram.

"The plans, related files and additional information have now been sent to you Admiral. The offensive will start tomorrow at seven hundred Juliet.* That is all. Dismissed." Gendo ended the feed.

Graves pressed the hologram that read [VIEW_FILES]. Maps with details of the Militia's supply lines, documents regarding the operation and some dossiers on key people appeared. What caught Graves' attention was the dossiers of two IMC Pilots who were slated to be transferred to Demeter the following day. One had the prominent image of a twenty year-old female operative with unusually pale skin, light blue hair, and red eyes had a completely blank expression on her face. Her dossier read that she had participated in many combat operations before, odd for such a young-looking woman. The other had the image of a somewhat older but just as young male operative who had strangely-colored gray hair and red eyes as well. His skin was normally colored though. His dossier read that he was one of the best Pilots in the IMC. The female's name was marked as [REI_AYANAMI-DETAILS_CLASSIFIED]. The male was marked as [KAWORU_NAGISA-BORN:09/12/2100_AGE:_25_FROM:_TABRIS_SECTOR].

"Hmm...I wonder why these Pilots are marked as VIPs. They must be part of the Angel Squadron*."

* * *

1) Du Scheiß-Hurensohn! Sie wünschen, dass Sie noch nie geboren worden! ICH WERDE DICH TÖTEN!*-Translation: You motherfucking son of a bitch! You'll wish you've never been born! I'LL KILL YOU!

2) Inner Frontier*-where Titanfall takes place.

3) Angel Squadron*-a squadron of Pilots made up of the best of the best in the IMC.


	7. Chapter 7: The Yashima Offensive

KV1789 here! In the previous chapter I forgot to put what seven hundred Juliet means. It means seven o'clock, local time (i.e. the time at Demeter) in military terms. Enjoy the next chapter! ;)

* * *

**Vale Militia Outpost Infirmary...again...0600 hours.**

He wasn't wearing the 'armored Plugsuit' but rather, bandages on his head, chest and arms due to the bruising he received from Asuka earlier. It was a miracle that Shinji didn't get another case of 'amnesia'.

"_Agh. Why did that have to happen? Everything hurts so much now." _Shinji pushed himself up from the bed. It hurt a little, but he could manage. He noticed that he wasn't wearing the 'Plugsuit' but rather, black pants that resembled his school pants from before.

"You've finally woke up, Ikari. I was afraid that you fell into a coma." The familiar voice of Dr. Lennox chimed in. Still holding his old clipboard, he walked over to the side of the medical bed.

"So how do you feel?"

"Ehh...okay, I guess...but I still hurt a lot."

"You've been in here since yesterday. I had to undergo the task of actually redressing you after we had to take off your EVA Suit.*" Shinji's eyes widened in shock.

_"WHAT?!"_

Lennox noticed the look in his eyes. "Don't worry, Ikari. I didn't take off your underwear or anything. Just the EVA Suit. I got the pants from your belongings back at the barracks."

_"EVA Suit? Is that what they call the Plugsuits now?"_ Shinji wondered. 'EVA' didn't mean 'Evangelion', that's for sure.

"By the way, sir. What happened to Toji?" He asked

"Suzuhara's fine. All he got was a bloody nose since Asuka elbowed him." Lennox looked at the clipboard.

"You'll also be okay after thirty minutes."

"What about Asuka?"

"Captain Redford had her taken to the brig for her actions."

_"Captain Redford? He must be the guy who I saw before I passed out."_ Shinji thought.

"I hope she'll be okay..."

Lennox looked up from the clipboard again. "The 2nd Militia Fleet is dropping by for some R and R today. You missed the announcement earlier since you were out."

"Oh. Uhh...thanks, sir."

"You can take off the bandages at five-thirty. I'm going to tend to the others." Lennox walked towards the door. "Report to me first before you leave."

* * *

**Demeter Base, an hour earlier/0500 hours...**

"Vice Admiral. The new transfers and the reinforcement provided by Supreme Commander Ikari have arrived. He has also sent his second-in-command, Vice-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, to oversee the operations." Spyglass stated to Graves as they walked towards Hangar A113. They would meet Fuyutsuki and the new transfers there. The Sentinel-class starship had already landed a few seconds ago.

"Where the hell is Blisk?" Graves asked.

"He appears to be on his way as well, Vice Admiral."

"Ah. Good."

The doors slid aside as the man and robot walked into the Bay. The Grunts and most of the Pilots were already heading to the base's barracks while Fuyutsuki and his entourage approached Graves and Spyglass.

"Commander Fuyutsuki. It is an honor to meet you." Graves saluted and shook his hand.

"At ease, Admiral Graves. It is also a pleasure to see you. Based on what I have seen around Demeter, it appears that you are doing your job well." He replied.

"Good day, Vice-Commander. I see that you had no discomfort during the trip?" Spyglass asked, as was his protocol when speaking to superior officers.

"Not at all, Spyglass. Not at all."

Graves noticed his entourage. They were the same Pilots whose dossiers he saw yesterday.

"May I introduce to you our special operatives..." Fuyutsuki motioned to the female Pilot to his left. She was wearing an EVA Suit similar to a sniper-class Pilot, but had two Autopistols holstered on her waist and a Kraber-AP Sniper Rifle on her back.

"This is Lieutenant Rei Ayanami. I'm sure you've read her dossier already."

_"Yes, I did. It said that everything else about her is 'classified'."_ Graves thought to himself. He reached out to shake Rei's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Ayanami."

She simply stared at him. Graves put down his hand.

"Okaaayyy..." He moved two steps back.

Fuyutsuki motioned to the male Pilot on his right. He was wearing an EVA Suit similar to an assault Pilot, but it was colored dark blue and black instead of the normal gray and white. He had a Hemlok BF-R slung on him.

"This is Captain Kaworu Nagisa, Angel Squadron's lead Pilot."

Kaworu saluted and was the one who reached out to shake hands instead.

"I look forward to serve with you, sir."

"Ah. You're the 'ace' I've been hearing about. You're quite young to be one."

"I get that all the time." Kaworu smirked.

"Oy! What'd I miss?" Blisk shouted from the other side of the hangar. He went over.

"*Sigh*...Blisk. You're late." Graves facepalmed. Fuyutsuki faced the South African mercenary.

"You must be Sergeant Blisk. I assume you are enjoying your second contract with us?" He asked.

"Of course I am! Nothing beats shooting Militia scum at any day. And I get paid for it too." He said after saluting to the Vice-Commander.

"Glad to hear. Now that we're all here, it's about time that we go inside. Commander Ikari wants to give us a briefing later about the operation."

* * *

**Vale Militia Outpost, 0630 hours...**

Lennox unwrapped Shinji's bandages. His skin underneath was slightly bluish, but he was still okay nevertheless.

"It might still hurt a little, but after a while the pain'll go away." Lennox said to Shinji, who was sitting on a folding chair.

"I advise you not to wear your EVA Suit until the signs of the bruises go away. It might affect your skin's respiration."

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Uhh...thank you, Doctor...but what am I gonna wear?"

Lennox walked to a duffel bag nearby and pulled out a polo shirt. Upon closer inspection, Shinji found out that it looked similar to his old school uniform shirt. It even matched the pants he was wearing.

"Put this on."

Shinji did as told.

"The rest of your stuff is on that table. You can leave afterwards."

Shinji stood up and picked up the utility belt, magazine pouches and the Hammond P2011 pistol on the table. He held the gun curiously.

_"I don't remember having a gun before..."_ He thought to himself. Even if he had one during the JSSDF assault before, he would have just shot himself instead of wasting the bullets. However, this was different.

"Shinji..." Lennox called out to him. Shinji looked back at the doctor, who was cleaning up the bandages on the floor.

"...take care of yourself. We don't have enough supplies treat everyone who comes here, so try not to get injured again."

"Okay...thank you...again." Shinji put the gun in the holster on the belt. He walked outside to the base, which was bustling with activity now.

_"I wonder if Asuka has cooled off now. Maybe I should settle things with her..."_ He thought. He decided to ask one of the Grunts where the 'brig' was.

"Um...excuse me, sir. Do you know where the 'brig' is?" He asked a Grunt nearby. The man turned to him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's there, right beside the warehouses."

"Thanks."

One of the Grunts recognized him.

"Hey! You're the guy who got decked by that Pilot yesterday, right?" He asked.

"Uhhh...yeah."

"What's your business in the brig, anyway?"

"I'm just going to see...Asuka."

The Grunts laughed.

"You expecting an apology from 'er?"

"I've heard that she still isn't over what happened yesterday."

Shinji looked down at the ground.

"Go on, kid. It is your business anyway, but if I were you, I'd wait a few days."

Shinji left the group of Grunts behind. He continued walking to the improvised prison. He talked to the Grunt at the door.

"Excuse me. Do you think I could see...Asuka Langley Sorzyuu?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh. Uh sure, kid. Follow me." The Grunt walked to a panel and put in a code. The doors slid apart and they walked in.

"You're the guy who got beat up by her yesterday, right?" The Grunt asked.

Shinji sighed. "...Yes."

"I guess you're here to make amends, right?"

Shinji nodded his head as they walked down the hallway.

"Y'know, that girl's the only prisoner in here. We don't have a lotta POWs 'cause of the fact that we don't see a lot of action."

They reached the last cell. Asuka was sitting on a metal bed, looking down at the floor while mumbling something. She was still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday. Her jacket was tied around her waist, showing off her spaghetti top while she still wore the same combat pants and boots.

_"Fucking assholes. He should be in here, begging for mercy! Not me! What would the others say?!"_

The Grunt knocked on the bars.

"Hey! Sorzyuu! You have a visitor!" He shouted. The guard turned to Shinji.

"She's all yours. I'll be nearby, if you need anything."

Asuka looked up immediately.

_"Huh? Who'd visit me?"_ She wondered. The surprised look on her face quickly turned sour when she saw who was visiting her.

"Well, well...if it isn't you." She stood up and sauntered over to the bars that separated her and Shinji.

"You know...YOU should be the one rotting in here. Not me." She leaned forward and put her hands on her hips.

"So what do you want, huh? An apology?"

Shinji looked at her. Asuka acted the same. She didn't seem to remember anything from the previous existence. However, she looked more older now, more mature, probably at around twenty years old.

"No...I...don't want an apology..." He awkwardly said.

"So what?! You want me to beg for mercy?! Is that it?!" She shouted.

"No...I'm here...to apologize to you..." Shinji said.

"I'm sorry about bumping into you, yesterday. I...didn't know you were behind me when 'that' happened." He held his arm awkwardly, while looking at the floor.

_"This...this is the first time someone's actually said something like that to me." _Asuka looked at Shinji with an open mouth.

"Oh. So you're sorry. Okay..." She turned around, arms crossed.

"...But you didn't think that I'd accept it that easily, did you?"

Shinji hoped that she would be more forgiving. _"Wha-?"_ He looked up in surprise.

"I am NOT going to forgive you."

Shinji mentally facepalmed.

_"Why did I fuck this up even more..."_

"You know...you should just leave. I am NOT going to talk to you any further."

Shinji walked away from Asuka's cell, towards the exit.

_"What was I thinking?"_

* * *

**Demeter Base, 0700 hours...**

"The Militia have several key planets that they hold outside of our operating range." Gendo's hologram told the many Pilots and Grunts in Demeter's Main Hangar.

"These planets serve as their supply bases, as I am told by my sources in the Militia. Because of this, the starships that I have sent with you have been outfitted with specially-manufactured warp drives that can bring you to the Outer Frontier."

The large holographic display morphed into several planets situated out of the IMC's primary operating range. One of them was labeled 'Vale'.

"There are six planets in total. A fleet of five ships each will attack the planets. The objective of all of you, are to destroy the Militia's supply bases and establish forward bases for us in order to maintain our foothold of the Frontier, and cut their supply lines. In that order, the Inner Frontier will be easier to take and the Militia will be unable to recover in time.

Kaworu raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Commander. I don't mean to be rude and all but I see a little flaw in your plan." He said.

"And what is that flaw, Captain Nagisa?"

"Wouldn't a fleet of five ships be a little underpowered? I've been thinking. There is a possibility that the Militia might have some orbital defense batteries or another fleet that outnumbers them on one of the planets." He reasoned.

"I appreciate your concern, Captain Nagisa but I assure you, the plan has been carefully thought out." Gendo told him.

"Are there any other questions?"

"No, sir." All the troops said.

"Good. As usual, all Pilots will be cleared to use their Titans. Vice Admiral Graves will be assigned as field commander for this operation. Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki will serve as coordinator. Sergeant Blisk will be in charge of Titan deployment.. Spyglass will be in charge of logistics. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Operation Yashima is a go. Gendo out." Gendo's hologram deactivated.

The offensive had begun.

* * *

EVA Suit- Think a Plugsuit but mixed with the Pilots' uniforms and with a jump kit on the back.


	8. Chapter 8: The IMC Attacks!

**Demeter Base, 1000 hours...**

Kaworu walked to the armory. Ensuring he had enough ammo and the proper equipment was one of the foremost things on his mind. He and part of his squadron would be attack a Militia-held planet named Kreyr, which was a largely unstable planet. Wide deserts, terrible winters, intense storms, but underneath all that was a Militia resource base that somehow managed to survive and take advantage of the mineral deposits that were rich in the planet.

_"I hope they have a set of Extreme Environment EVA Suits available, going there in a regular one would be quite uncomfortable," _he thought to himself as he spotted a familiar figure standing in the corridor to his left. Lieutenant Ayanami was apparently injecting herself with some sort of drug.

_"Hmmm..." _Kaworu stood behind the corner of the wall and peeked over. Rei's back was only slightly turned to him as was her face, but he could see that she still had the same emotionless look on her face. She finished fully injecting the syringe and tossed it into what seemed like a nearby trash incinerator. Then she turned her head in his direction with unnatural speed. Kaworu fortunately stopped looking at that point.

Rei scanned the area. She immediately activated the incinerator and proceeded to the armory as well. Kaworu pressed his back to the wall so that the portion jutting out would block Rei from seeing him. After making sure her footsteps were inaudible, he stepped back out.

_"So is this your little secret as to why your mission performance is excellent? Or is it something else?"_ he pondered amusingly as he followed in pursuit of the purple-haired Pilot. Ever since he met Lieutenant Ayanami on the ship to Demeter, he suspected something off about her, as did the rest of his team. Even he himself, a high-ranking officer, couldn't access most of her file as it was locked for the absolute superiors only.

A short walk later, he was already in the armory. Demeter Base has plenty of armories, but the main armory was its own building. Four floors of different weapons and equipment. The fourth was the personal equipment storage, so that would be where he would obtain the new suit. He went into the nearby elevator with a few grunts and fellow pilots. They had some banter, but he did not participate as each of them departed on different floors. He reached the fourth and exited without incident. The EEEVA Suits had several dispenser-closets, with a panel display in front that allowed you to select the color you wanted, although the colors were predominantly IMC-affiliated to avoid confusion with the Militia. After getting his (in a similar silvery-gray/dark blue color scheme) he spotted Rei entering the elevator alone. Before the the doors closed, he noticed that she seemed to be staring in his direction.

_"Huh."_

* * *

**Vale Militia Outpost Barracks, 1010 hours...  
**

Shinji looked at himself in the mirror. It was only now that he realized that he, Toji, Kensuke, Asuka and even Hikari looked much older than before. Shinji couldn't shake off the fact that he looked kinda like a more youthful, masculine version of his mom.

_"Oh, mother...I hope you're alive here too."_

He walked out the bathroom to the sight of the warehouse-slash-barracks. A couple of Pilots were talking. some were asleep, others were checking their equipment. He saw Toji at the entrance, with Kensuke in tow, rushing over to him.

"Heya, Shinji!" He called over as he weaved his way through the other pilots together with Kensuke.

"Oh. Hi Toji," Shinji meekly replied.

"I was sent here to fetch ya. Captain Redford wants to talk to ya. Kensuke had nothing to do so he came along."

"What?" Shinji asked.

"Yup. He said it was urgent. At least, that's what Toji told me," Kensuke replied.

Shinji scratched his head. "It's about yesterday isn't it?"

"Not really. Apparently it's an entirely different reason why he wants to see ya." He said as motioned Shinji to come along.

"Is Redford the guy in the green fatigues?" Shinji asked as they went down the stairs and walked across the open dirt field towards the makeshift command center.

"Well, yeah. Why ya askin'?"

"I think I was the first thing he saw on the floor when he opened the door yesterday."

The Militia command center on Vale was a simple, two-story concrete building. The Militia's symbol was spray-painted on the sides with a flag on top of it to further bolster the fact. The roof had several interstellar comms receivers and radio antennas fixed to it. There were a few windows and three double doors each situated on the front, left and back of the building. It heavily contrasted with the high-tech look of the Docking Bay and the supply outpost's underground storage, which was situated under the dirt airfield-type base above.

The both of them entered the sparsely-occupied building. A female soldier with dark skin and black hair tied into a bun approached the trio as they walked in.

"Which one of you is Shinji?" she asked. The two shoved him forward.

"Hey!"

The soldier shook his hand.

"I would like to congratulate you, Mister Ikari! You're the first pilot I've met who's reached the hundred-percent synch ratio! Not even the IMC have anybody like you!"

"Oh, uhhh...thank...you?"

She pulled her hand back in what seemed like surprise.

"Oh how rude of me not to introduce myself! I'm Dr. Anandi Chandrakanta. First Brigade Pilot Evaluation Specialist!" she said with a touch of glee.

"I used to be IMC, but with all the stuff they did to the rest of my colleagues, I simply decided that maybe working for you guys would be much helpful..."

Toji interrupted her as she was goin. g to start another sentence.

"Errr...yeah. The Captain-"

"OH! How rude of me again! Please proceed. Freddie's upstairs." she said as she pointed to the stairs. The trio walked past her and a few other senior soldiers as they went over.

"Well...that was_"

"Weird? Heh. That's Doctor Andi for ya," Toji said as they climbed the stairs.

"But she's a cool person. Having problems piloting? She'll help ya out."

Down the corridor of the second floor was Redford's office. The three walked up to the door. Toji knocked.

"Captain! Shinji's here!"

The door opened to an older, clean-shaved man wearing a worn, olive green combat jacket and combat pants. The jacket had an orange armband with the Militia logo painted messily on it.

"Ah. Thank you, Suzuhara. You and Aida can leave now. I need to speak with Ikari in private."

The both of them nodded.

"A'ight, Shinji. We'll be going." Toji said.

"See you around, bruh." Kensuke said as well. "Well, anyway. So which Titan are you going to pilot, man?!"

The military otaku started rambling again as an audible "AUGH!" was heard. Redford closed the door.

"That boy, Aida. Wanted to be a pilot so badly. His body and mind isn't fit for piloting, but I tell you, he's got darn good mechanical skills." Redford said as he walked over to the other side of his table, which was a simple plastic table with a few papers and a holopad on it. The room wasn't very huge. There was a doorway on the right of the table that led to a balcony, through which Shinji could see the starships of the 2nd Militia Fleet in orbit. A weapon rack was situated in front of the table, behind a folding chair. Another chair was Redford's.

"Shinji. Please, have a seat. My office isn't really much to look at but it serves its purpose well." he gruffly said.

Shinji pulled the chair closer to himself and sat down. Redford sat down on his own chair as well.

"It seems that we have quite a lot to talk about. But first, I must congratulate you on achieving the highest synch ratio attainable by any Titan pilot. You've turned a lotta heads, young man."

"Thanks...Doctor...'Andi' was it? She congratulated me as well."

Redford chuckled.

"'Eccentric Andi'? I could hear her all the way up here."

"So, um, Captain? What's so important about this 'synch ratio' anyway?"

Shinji remembered the importance of synchronization from back then. The higher the ratio, the more control you would have over the Evangelion. He managed to get very high ratios before, mostly due to emotional trauma and many factors which almost resulted in him ending the world. However, he needed confirmation on what its importance is in this world.

"Oh. I thought this was explained to you as a recruit. But then again, Allan did report that you had a little accident during training. Anyhow, I guess I should jog your memory then. You see, Ikari. In order to pilot a Titan, the pilot must have the appropriate or sufficient mental and physical capacity and characteristics to properly synchronize with the Titan. Titans use a combination of a neural linkage system and motion capture technology for the pilots to properly take advantage of its strength and abilities. They can actually function without a Pilot as they have an artificial intelligence, but a Pilot can maximize the use of these abilities. The A.I. is just there to assist..."

_"So these 'Titans' are like Evangelions! But they're...mechanical instead... Hmm...I wonder what they look like, and if they need...ughhh...LCL to function..." _Shinji thought as Redford explained.

"...are different kinds of Titans, each with their own specializations. So far, there's only three. The Atlas, the Ogre and the Stryder. Simply put, the Atlas is a jack-of-all-trades, the Ogre's heavily armored and extremely strong but slow, and the Stryder is fast, but weak and unarmored. The pilots use the system to effectively utilize their abilities."

Shinji nodded. The Titans were specialized in different roles. Redford made no mention of the Angels, so the possibility that the Titans were used against each other was high.

"I hope you remember now, Ikari. The reason why I called you over here is because of your synchronization ratio. The higher the synch rate determines how perfectly the Titan can match the movements of the Pilot. The lesser the synch rate means more...'lag' as Doctor Chandrakanta calls it. Therefore the Pilot and the Titan cannot react and move quickly and efficiently. The highest synch rate achieved among the pilots of both sides before you came along was 95%. That's what she has informed us. Amongst us here, the highest is 85%. The one with that ratio is Miss Sohryu."

_"Why am I not surprised?"_ Shinji thought.

"Now since you have a perfect synch ratio it means you-" Redford was cut off when his holopad started flashing an alert. He immediately grabbed it and answered the call.

"What's wrong?"

"Sir! The 2nd Fleet and our Planetary Defense Detectors have spotted a fleet of five unknown starships that have appeared out of nowhere near the planet!"

Redford and Shinji looked in shock.

"Umm...Captain?"

"They know we're here...Kamzhin! Mobilize all personnel! Contact Admiral Leitz and tell him to prep-"

"FUCK! They're attacking the 2nd Fleet! There's some smaller ships departing from the main ones. Planetary attack ships!"

"Dammit! We have no orbital defenses! ORDER EVERYONE TO PREPARE FOR GROUND COMBAT!"

An air raid siren started blaring as Redford stood up.

"Ikari! You're with me!" he ordered. Shinji quickly complied as Redford opened the door and slammed it in a hurry. The both of them rushed downstairs as the comms officers desperately tried calling for help as the 2nd Fleet was low on ammo and supplies. They could only take on the enemy for so long.

"Captain! We've received more SOS calls! The outposts at Kreyr, Ardres, Marn, and the Yashima sector are reporting similar assaults as well! The ships are IMC!" an officer shouted.

"Dammit! The IMC are trying to cut off our emergency supply lines" Redford said as they ran out the building. Shinji looked up and saw a massive orbital battle in the sky. The numerically superior, but supply-starved 2nd Fleet was holding off the five main ships of the IMC attack force.

"Move Ikari!" Redford ordered as a group of Phantom fighters strafed one of the old warehouse buildings. A few grunts were partially disintegrated by the plasma cannon fire. Shinji looked on in horror as parts of them disappeared. Even all the suffering and horror he witnessed and endured still didn't make him insensitive to human suffering, but he ran alongside Redford to wherever they were going.

"Kamzhin! Release Sergeant Sohryu from the brig! We need every pilot we have!" he shouted into the holopad.

"Shinji. Come with me. I'll explain once we get to the Titan Storage Facility..."

* * *

**Vale Militia Outpost Brig, 1055 hours...  
**

"Auughhh! Turn the damn alarms off!" Asuka said in her sleep.

_"If you're going to detain me for something I'm not guilty of, then at least let me have some peace and quiet!" _ she thought. Her sleep was interrupted by some grunts' yelling.

"Hey! Wake up! We're under attack!"

"Verdamnt..." she said as she turned away from the cell door as the two grunts opened it.

"C'mon, princess! You gotta get up there! All pilots are needed up top!"

She turned to them with a frown on her face.

"Then why're you asking a prisoner to go upstairs then? Aren't all the pilots up there already?"

One of them got irritated as expected.

"FUCKING HELL, LADY! If you're not going up then I'm dragging your annoying, smug ass up the stairs then!" he said as he attempted to grab her arm. Asuka responded by twisting his arm to the point where it almost broke.

"AHHHHHHH!" he said as Asuka slammed his head on the wall. Luckily his helmet took most of the impact, but he slumped in pain.

"Who said you could touch me, dirtbag?" she glared at the the other grunt, who was aiming his R-101C Carbine at her. He was clearly afraid, as she could see him sweating profusely.

"You! Tell me...what's going on that made command send you two sorry asses to pick me up?" she said as she moved an inch closer to the grunt.

"T-The IMC. T-They're attacking the base! Lieutenant Kamzhin o-ordered u-us to get you," he stammered.

"You see? Your friend here seems to know how to speak to a lady...unlike you," she said condescendingly to the grunt slumped on the wall. He simply grunted angrily in response.

"It's okay. I won't hand your ass to you, so put down the gun..." Asuka said as she leant towards the nervous grunt, who did so. He stopped aiming at her.

"Good. Now give it to me."

"What?"

"Ugh! Just give her the gun, Parkins!" the grunt on the floor said. Parkins did so.

"Thank you, Parks! Now I'll be able to put this to good use by shooting IMCunts with it. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Asuka left the two but not before telling the one on the floor "Get well soon!"

"Jesus Christ. And that Shinji guy tried to apologize to her?" he said.

* * *

"Asuka!" Hikari called out as Asuka exited the brig.

"Hikari! Why didn't you go down there?"

"I wasn't allowed for some reason. Anyway, we need to get to the Titan Storage Facility and Armory. All of us have to get in a Titan and fend off the IMC ground troops," she said as they ran to the cargo elevator leading to the facility. Hikari was armed with an R-97 Compact SMG.

"Then I guess there's no time to lose then!" Asuka said as they started running as fast as they could.

* * *

**Titan Storage Facility, High-Priority Level, 1110 hours...  
**

"Shinji. The reason I wanted to talk to you is because a few weeks ago, the Marauders and the 6-4 raided a Hammond Robotics testing facility. They managed to safely recover a prototype Titan that we've never seen before," Redford said as the massive vault doors opened. The High-Priority Vault and the Titan Facility resembled the "Eva pens" from before, but with the absence of LCL. They entered an old-looking elevator.

"According to our technicians and the blueprints, the Titan was apparently the result of combining the versatility of an Atlas, the strength and armor of the Ogre, and the speed and maneuverability of a Stryder. It has seemingly never been tested yet..." Redford explained as the elevator went down.

"It also came along with a set of attachable weapon modules. The whole damn thing appears to be Japanese-inspired as well. But then again, I've heard they've got great robot designers and I wouldn't be surprised if the IMC hired some," They passed through several corridors. Each had security doors that had to be granted access by Redford himself.

"When we tried using it, we found out that the thing has a highly sensitive neural linkage system and motion capture system. It could only accept synch ratios from 90% above. Now since the IMC are the only ones who have people with those ratios, that's where you come in."

"So...I'm the only one that can pilot it?"

"Correct. Think of it as a test run. Utilize all its capabilities in combat. If you can, try to keep it in one piece. Our techies will be kissing your feet if you do. If you can't though, just stay alive. It has an auto-eject system so just focus on surviving." Redford said as the final door opened. The 'Titan pen' had senior technicians and mechanics performing pre-deployment checks on the Titan. It looked like a combination of Shinji's old Unit 01, but combined with an Atlas-type Titan. As a result it looked very sleek.

_"U-U-Unit...01?!"_

The sight triggered some thankfully unsevere flashbacks for Shinji.

* * *

_"This is the Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. That is Eva-01. Its construction carried out in complete secrecy, it is our — humanity's — ultimate weapon." _Ritsuko's voice echoed. Shinji found himself back in the Eva pen from before. He looked at the Control Center to see none other than Gendo, staring down with his eyes obscured by the shine on his glasses.

_"Fuyutsuki. Retrieve Ayanami. I have no use for this worthless excuse of a son." _Gendo's voice announced through the speakers. He turned away from the glass and left.

Shinji could not help but feel intense anger as he balled his hand into a fist.

_"Hey hot shot! Ready for the main event?" _a voice asked. Shinji turned to see Misato smiling at him, but then her image morphed into a similarly pretty Asian woman with smears of grease along her face.

* * *

"Ikari." the familiar voice of Redford broke Shinji out of his trance. Shinji backed off in astonishment. The woman giggled.

"Oops! Looks like I scared you there for a minute," she said.

"This is Cora Mantel. One of our senior Titan maintenance personnel."

"Oh. Um...hello, Miss-"

"Call me Cora! Me and my team have done everything we can to ensure you have a comfortable ride!" she said to him.

"Shinji. I hope you don't feel dizzy or anything." the voice of Doctor Lennox said as the doctor himself scanned Shinji with some high-tech vital scanner eyeglasses, a must have for every doctor in this universe.

"Your vitals seem stable, but don't overexert yourself. I'd say he's ready to deploy, Frederick."

"OhmyGod! This is it! I finally get to see him and this beauty in action!" the voice of Doctor Andi echoed as she rushed over.

"Word of advice, Shinji: let loose on those IMC bastards, okay?"

It all felt familiar and different at the same time. This time however, he wasn't running away.

_"I'll show you, fa-Gendo. I'm not going to be afraid anymore!" _

Shinji looked at everyone around him.

"Let's do this."


End file.
